Orchid shows

The Desert Valley Orchid Society's annual orchid show is a good example of a small show with plenty to seeWhy do we attend orchid shows and other orchid events?

Whether it's an orchid sale or show or fundraiser, most orchid events include how-to classes for beginners, as well as orchids to purchase. You might even have a chance to meet your favorite orchid vendor face to face.

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Orchid shows/events described on Myqhi Orchids

Why do we attend orchid shows and other orchid events?

We go to learn

The first time I attended an orchid show, all kinds of questions popped into my head. How do they keep the green leaves so shiny and spot free? How do they grow their plants so large? How do they produce so many blooms? For Myqhi, even a trip to a local orchid grower's annual event is an opportunity to see living examples of orchids he has only read about or viewed as thumbnail-size photos.

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We go to enjoy an abundance of orchids

Look again at the photo at the top of this page. Do you see the wide range of phalaenopsis colors (white, red, yellow, spotted, and more)? If you look closely at the photo, you will also see non-phalaenopsis orchids: I see what might be purple vanda and orange sophrolaeliocattleya blooms. This photo displays just one part of a small orchid show provided by the Desert Valley Orchid Society (Phoenix, 2005). The larger the orchid event, the more orchids you can reasonably expect to see.

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We go to see orchids we can't grow

If you're relatively new to growing orchids, you might not have learned (yet) that there are orchids you just can't grow. There are orchids that either won't bloom for us or won't stay healthy or won't even grant us the pleasure of staying alive. Instead of continuing to purchase and destroy perfectly good orchids, we visit them at orchid shows and leave the nurturing to someone else.

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We go to see AOS awarded plants

Most orchid shows give awards that include first, second and third place in each category, such as: best first bloom, best commercial display, best small display, etc. This adds up to a lot of ribbons. Sometimes there are new AOS awars as well -- we always watch for those. It is impressive to see AOS awarded plants in all their glory.

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We go to take photos for our website

It is a challenge to take photos at a show. We can't pick up an orchid and move it to a better location. We can't change the back drop. Even so, it is worth the effort. I've learned that if Myqhi takes enough photos, a few of them will usually be quite worthy of posting.

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We go to build a wish list of phalaenopsis

Of course, I'm sure this is almost exactly what the orchid vendors love to hear. (Exactly what orchid vendors love to hear: we go to buy orchids. We look and take notes because we can't buy everything today, but we always seem to find at least one phalaenopsis we would like to own in the future.

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We go to look for favorite orchid vendors

Granted the orchid vendor area is crowded and busy, and it seems like most vendors are just selling to the general public. However, sometimes we still meet our favorite orchid vendor face to face.

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We go to buy phalaenopsis orchids

Myqhi's theory is: there's always room for one more phalaenopsis. At a good orchid show, the challenge is to refrain from buying everything that appeals to us. At a bad orchid show, we walk away empty-handed.

Conclusion

If you are the happy owner of orchids (whether 2 or 2,000) and you haven't been to an orchid show or other orchid event recently, consider going to one soon.

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